The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-07-28
Stimulated immigration.
From the Times.Democrat.

From the TimesDemocrat.
There can be no doubt that immi-
grafton is being arJifcially stimulated by
the steamship and railroad lines engaged
in transporting immigrants to this coun
try, and that to this stimulation is due the
flood of people now pouring in upon us.
Such immigration is not desirable. 1t
brings more people than the country is
prepared to receive. There is not work
for ALL and as a consequence, there are
many left out of employment and de-
pendent upon public charity for support.
No sensible man would oppose immi-
grafton; but at the same time he cannot
but admit that it may be stimulated to a
point where it will be injurious both to
the immigrant and to the country. No
one opposes the negroes going to Kansas,
but when they rush there en- masse, as they
did few years ago, from all portions of
the SOUTH the inevitable result is suffering
for them and injury to the country.
1t is becoming each day more evident
that the steamship and railroad companies
are anxious to get immigrants to come to
America, simply for the profit to be de-
rived from transporting them across the
Atlantic and to the west. Small as is the
average sum with which each emigrant
leaves home, in the aggregate it reaches
large amount, and nearly all of it is paid
out for transportation, the newcomer
reaching his destination with very little to
begin on. The steamship and railroad
companies care little what becomes of him
after his fare has been paid.
These companies derive some $25,000,-
900 to S30,000,000 annually from this
source, and consequently they have for
years employed every available means of
increasing the flow of immigration across
the Atlantic and thence to various parts
of the country. The transportation COM
panies have their agents IN all the dis
tricts of Europe from which the bulk of
the immigrants come; and these agents,
by the distribution of circulars and per-
sonal solicitation, induce many thousands
of persons to come here who previously
had no definite idea of doing so. They
set forth, in glowing and often in decep-
tive language, the advantages of America,
and convince the emigrant that he is GER
tain to make money here from the very
start.
1t is to this artificial stimulation that
much of the present tide of immigration
is due, and such immigration is not bene-
fetal. A large number of the foreigners
who were induced to come by the agents
find too late that America is not the land
of fabulous opportunity it has been rep
resented to them, and they become dis
contented and too often conspire against
the stability of the government Again,
the transportation companies are only In
terested in the immigrant as freight, and
pay no attention to his morals. They do
not care whether he is a workingman or a
convict; whether he will make good citi-
zen or is shiftless, incompetent and i'm
moral. 1t is to this system of importing
him as human freight that is due the in
PRODUCTION into certain portions of this
country of the anarchists, socialists and
other enemies of society.
If natural causes are left to operate
alone, the immigration into the United
States will be large enough, but where
stimulated in this manner by the steam
ship and railroad companies, whose only
aim is to get as many people as possible
to come over to America, who do not have
to care for the immigrants, should they
become burdens on the community, and
are, therefore, not interested whether
they are good citizens or not, immigra-
ton may become a serious injury and a
great danger to the country.